I watched a moment between a little boy and his mom. While Mom was trying to tell her son that he needed to get in their car, the little boy, with his hands over his ears, repeated the words, "I can't hear you."
Rather than addressing the covered ears and the need to obey, the mother became louder. Oh . . . the challenges of raising children. You can only imagine what happened next . . . hmmm . . . the little boy became louder . . . she became louder . . . and . . . finally they were shouting at each other.
The art of listening takes practice.
Listening requires a discipline of awareness.
Listening is the way to understanding one another.
John records the words of Jesus that are difficult to understand without any other reference to the conversation. Did Nathanael listen to what Jesus said? Did Nathanael understand the meaning of the words? What happened? Were these the last words in their conversation?
Jesus used familiar language of the Jewish faith to communicate to Nathanael. If Nathanael listened, he understood what Jesus said.
The reference of the opening of the heavens could be interpreted as a revelation.
Read Ezekiel 1:1 and study the similar language that indicates something important had been revealed: "On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened to me, and I saw visions of God."Also look at Genesis 28:12 in reference to Jacob's dream of a stairway connected to heaven: "As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from earth to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down on it."
Nathanael most likely understood that the words revealed Jesus to be the connection or way between heaven and earth. It had to be a life-changing moment in time. His life could not have ever been the same when he understood that Jesus provides the way to enter into a relationship with God. Nathanael must have experienced a new clarity of purpose and passion for life.
If, we take time to listen through prayer, then, we will understand more of whom Jesus is in our life . . . giving us a new purpose and passion for the day.
Stop.
Seek God.
Listen.
Understand.
Learning with you to listen,
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)
